NHTSA Complaint #11556135 — 2015 RAM 1500

On August 27, 2023, on my home my 2015 RAM 1500 Eco Diesel lost all power at 70 mph and the "Electronic Throttle Control" light came on. I was able to get my truck home in "limp mode" and had it towed to the dealership the next day (August 28, 2023). Two weeks later, the dealership called and said that my truck had "fuel contamination" because there were "shavings and rust" in my fuel filter housing and it would cost $21k to replace the entire fuel system. I asked for a more thorough diagnostic because there is the open recall (Z46) on the vehicle related to the high-pressure fuel pump that will leave debris in the system. They then claimed that a "Stalantis engineer" looked at it and put a restriction on the vehicle to not be covered under recall warranty due to "fuel contamination." I asked for a detailed diagnostic report which they could not provide. I then filed a claim through Stalantis and went through a 2-month process and 4 different case managers who ultimately claimed that they couldn't cover it because of the fuel contamination restriction. So, I then filed an insurance claim who did their own investigation, including collecting a fuel sample from the truck tank, investigating the last fuel station I used, and interviewing the dealership. They concluded that the issue was due to the recall (specifically, the fuel pump leaving debris in my fuel system) and was NOT external fuel contamination. They also claimed that the dealership would not provide a diagnostic report. Consequently, this could not be covered as an insurance claim and should be covered under vehicle warranty. All that said, I have no other option but to file this complaint as Stalantis has not been willing to even consider covering the vehicle despite the open recall, and an independent investigation. It is also my understanding that there is no approved fix for this recall, however I've been without a vehicle or a path forward for 3-months and feel Stalantis owes its customers a solution.